'Substantial void' found under Calgary Trail and Allendale Road

Epcor has shut down parts of Calgary Trail near Allendale Road after engineersdoing pre-construction work for another project discovereda"void" underneath the road.

"Since then we've done a little work to take a closer look at it, and there is what the experts would call a large void underneath Allendale Road," said Epcor spokesperson Tim LeRiche.

"A large void basically means an empty cavity."

LeRiche said the size of the void isn't known, but confirmed it partially extendsunder Calgary Trail.

A geotechnical investigation doneThursday to help collect soil and water samples didn't turn up any concrete results as to the nature or cause of the situation.

"We've seen some indication of instability at the surface, undulations in the road, cracks and things like that," LeRiche said.

According to the city's website , there has been ongoing sidewalk and road rehabilitation work in the area since 2013.

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LeRiche said the company is now waiting for further assessment and lab results from water and soil samples to help paint a better picture the void's cause.

When asked if the void could potentially become a sinkhole, LeRiche said that is "one eventuality" they're concerned about.

As a result of the void, several roads have been closed and could remain that way through the weekend, depending on the timeline for repairs, LeRiche said.

Affected roadways are Allendale Road eastbound and westbound between 106th Streetand Calgary Trail, and thetwo right-hand lanes on Calgary Trail near Allendale Road.

"We ask people to understand that this is a public safety issue we need to know exactly what it is that's down there," he said.

A handful of businesses will have utility access limited in the area. LeRiche said they're working with anyone affected to ensure the closures are not too inconvenient.